The Dream
by redrider6612
Summary: After an explicit dream about his partner, Booth struggles with what it might mean. Opening scene is pretty steamy, therefore the M rating. B&B fluff
1. Chapter 1

The Dream

She was wearing her red Roxie dress. Her hair was down, softly wavy against her shoulders, her lips half smiling, her eyes heavy-lidded with desire. Booth pulled her up against him, sliding his hands around her waist to pull her close. Her arms slid up around his neck and she tilted her head to the side. Taking her silent invitation, he started kissing her neck, mouth open and hungry as he moved up to her ear. Her breath sucked in when his teeth gently nibbled on her earlobe. His heartbeat picked up as she groaned throatily, the sound husky with passion. Booth moaned, molding her body closer to his. He'd never wanted a woman more.

He slid her zipper down slowly, afraid if he moved as quickly as his hormones were demanding, she'd spook and bolt. But she was almost purring in his arms and he was encouraged to be bolder. Parting the back of the dress, he smoothed it down her arms until it finally fell in a pool at her feet. She pulled back a bit and smiled languidly up into his eyes and he took the opportunity to appreciate her amazing body. Then his gaze locked on her lips and he finally kissed her like he'd been aching to since she came in. She shuddered with desire and her lips parted, tongue slipping between his lips to meet his. Booth groaned and met her tongue thrust for thrust.

She had unbuttoned his shirt and now pushed it off his shoulders, hands moving feverishly over his chest. Suddenly they were on the bed together, skin to skin, all barriers a mere memory, moving together toward the climax that trembled just out of reach. Propping himself up on his elbows, moving his hips to the rhythm she had set, he kissed her again, deeply, over and over again. The most incredible sensation began at the crown of his head and spread like wildfire down, down, down, centering finally in the place they were joined. He shouted with ecstasy in the same instant that she clutched his shoulders and gave a loud, breathy groan, shuddering as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her.

Booth came awake in a rush and sat up, pulse pounding, sweat pouring off him. Wow, what a dream! It had seemed so real, disturbingly so. Booth went to the bathroom and gulped down a glass of water. He caught sight of his reflection and paused in shock. Had he really just had an erotic dream about his partner? Turning on the faucet, he bent over the sink and doused his face, trying to clear his mind. Shake it off, Booth, it was just a dream. A dream in which he had the most amazing, mind-blowing lovemaking he had ever had. Stop it, Booth! She's your partner, he scolded himself harshly. Bracing his hands on the sink, he dropped his head and took several deep breaths. It took fifteen minutes, but he was finally able to calm down enough to go back to bed. Sleep took a lot longer, but it overtook him at last.

Booth swiped his card and walked up onto the platform with far less enthusiasm than he usually exhibited. Hodgins and Angela were talking in low, intimate tones, oblivious to everyone else. Zack and Brennan were bent over a table, examining the remains that had come in that morning. Brennan looked up briefly, her gaze casual. Booth's gut tensed, as though he was afraid she might guess that he'd had that dream. Stupid, Booth, of course she can't. Nobody could.

"Hi, Booth. Before you ask, we haven't got anything for you yet," Brennan said, going back to the body.

Angela sensed Booth's tension. "What's up, Booth? You're wound pretty tight," she teased. Hodgins was looking at him, obviously trying to pick up the vibes that Angela was, but not quite getting it.

Booth shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. "Nothing. I'm just...anxious to get going on the investigation." Putting his hands in his pockets, he jingled his change and rocked back on his heels, looking around with an innocent look. Angela was still watching him, not buying the act.

"So, Booth, who are you dating these days?" Angela asked slyly. Hodgins glanced at Angela, impressed with her powers of observation. How does she pick up on these things? he wondered.

Booth frowned and his whole body tensed. "Nobody, why?" His glance darted to Brennan, who was absorbed in the grisly remains. Relieved that she seemed oblivious, he looked back at Angela. His heart sank as he sensed she wasn't done with him.

"Really? 'Cuz I'm really picking up a sex vibe from you," she teased, smiling as a flush stole up his face. She knew she was right, she just didn't get why he wasn't fessing up. Who would he be dating that he couldn't tell them about? she wondered. She continued to examine him, instincts on high alert. To his credit, Booth had somehow managed to banish the blush.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he scoffed. He stepped over to the table next to Zack. "Got anything yet?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

"The victim is a forty to fifty year old male, Caucasian…" Booth bent slightly, pretending to examine the wound Zack was pointing out. Zack's voice was droning on as Booth's eyes were drawn irresistibly to Brennan's impressive cleavage. Angela's voice snapped him out of it.

"Hey, Bren, how was your date with…was it Kevin? Or Kent?"

Brennan sighed. "Ken. It was okay. I asked him about his job like you suggested and he spent the evening going on about stocks and bonds. I was bored silly."

"Really? That's too bad. It's hard to find interesting men these days, outside the workplace, that is," Angela sympathized, smiling at Hodgins. He smiled back at her, dazzled by the wattage of her smile. He could tell she was zeroing in on Booth and felt sympathy for him. Poor dude didn't have a chance.

Angela stood up and went over to Booth. "Let's go get some coffee, Booth," she coaxed. "You can tell me all about your dreams."

Booth's head snapped up, his mouth dropped open and his heart skipped a beat. She really was scary. "Dreams? W-what do you mean?"

Angela linked her arm with his, a sly smile on her face. "Yeah, you know, goals, aspirations? C'mon," she urged, pulling him along. In stunned silence, Booth went along. They were halfway to the cafeteria before he was able to think coherently. Maybe coffee with Angela was just the thing. He'd talk to her about the dream, changing the names to protect the innocent, of course, and see what she thought it meant. Part of him was dreading it, while another part hoped to get some answers, or at least some sage advice.


	2. Chapter 2

Angela decided to play along with Booth's deception. "So, this friend of yours, Bob, told you he had a dream about his coworker Betty that was pretty intense? Did he say whether he had ever thought of her in that way before?" She sipped her coffee, eyes fixed on his face. His inner struggle was playing out on his face and she suppressed the urge to squeal with glee. It was about time. All he needed was a little nudge in the right direction.

"No, he hasn't, I mean how could he? He works with her. They're just friends," he insisted. Angela seemed to buying the whole story, but he wasn't sure. She was way too perceptive for his peace of mind.

Angela smiled and took another sip. "Well, I think Bob needs to consider the possibility that the dream is a subconscious signal that his feelings for Betty aren't as platonic as he likes to think. I think he ought to act on his feelings."

Booth frowned. "I don't know, Ange, what if she rejects him? She's never given any indication that she feels that way."

Angela smirked. "Oh, I'm sure she does," she assured him. His eyes narrowed at her and she realized her slip. "How could she not? It sounds like Bob's got it all going on. But he'll never know unless he takes a chance."

Booth sipped his coffee thoughtfully, then asked the question that was really bothering him. "And if he takes a chance and he gets lucky and she does feel the same? What if it doesn't last? How can they go back to being just friends, go back to just working together?"

Angela felt a pang of sympathy for the fear she heard in his voice. Unable to help herself, she reached out to touch his hand. When his eyes met hers, she smiled softly. "Life is full of uncertainty. Nobody knows what's going to happen next. I believe we all have to take what happiness we can find and store it up against the dark times. If we let the 'what ifs' rule us, then the darkness wins."

With a sinking feeling Booth realized she had seen through his whole deception, but it seemed she was going to let him keep it up to save face. He smiled at her crookedly, shaking his head. She really was amazing. He pushed his coffee away and sat back.

"Well, I'll pass your advice along to Bob. It'll be up to him to decide what to do next," he said, shaking his head. "Poor guy, I don't envy him this decision." He stood up and put his suit jacket on as she rose, studying him once more. Booth tried not to fidget as her eyes bore into him.

"Tell Bob not to wait too long. She may be waiting for him to make the first move. Or she may be even more afraid than he is. Either way, the window of opportunity isn't going to stay open forever."

Booth met her gaze steadily for a long moment, reading the warning there. He finally nodded. "Right." He turned toward the door. "Why don't we go see if the squints have made any progress in our absence?"

Angela smiled and led the way, satisfied that she had done her best. Now it was up to them. She dearly hoped they would make the right choice.


	3. Chapter 3

A week had gone by since he'd had the dream, a long, torturous week in which every gesture, every look Brennan gave him seemed fraught with underlying currents. He would start to tell her, but every time he stopped himself because the timing was off. He was jumpy and short tempered and she had asked him several times what was wrong. Nothing, he would assure her, nothing's wrong, I'm just tired. And she would look at him with a puzzled frown and, unable to read him, she would turn away. A couple of times he reached out to stop her, then dropped his hand, defeated by his fear once more.

It was Friday night and they had finally solved the case. They sat on the couch, alone, the remains of a late supper spread around them, working on putting their notes together for the prosecutor. Brennan put her carton down and sat back, stretching her arms over her head. Dropping her arms, she leaned back and looked over at Booth. He had been prickly all week, completely wrecking their work dynamic. She was mystified as to the cause. She decided to try a more direct approach.

"Booth, what's wrong? Have I done something to make you mad?"

Booth's gaze locked with hers. She looked at him steadily, a slight frown on her brow. He suppressed a groan. God, she was beautiful. 'Tell her,' his inner voice urged. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Standing up, he walked away from her to gather his thoughts and muster his courage. Here goes, he thought.

"I've been thinking," he began, cursing silently as the words got tangled up in his head. He turned to look at her. Bad idea. His heart seized as he was struck by her beauty all over again and the enormity of what he was about to say hit him.

"You're scaring me, Booth," she said, her voice cracking. She got to her feet and moved toward him, but stopped when he raised his hand.

"Don't, please, just stop. I need to say this and I'm afraid I won't be able to if you get too close." Sliding his hands into his pockets, he took a deep breath. "I'm—I think I'm in love with you," he finally admitted softly.

Brennan's jaw dropped, and then she sat down as though her legs couldn't support her any longer. "You can't be serious," she said when she found her voice. "This is some kind of joke, right?"

Booth met her eyes and shook his head slowly. "I don't know when it started, but I know exactly when I finally realized it. A week ago I had a very—explicit dream about you and me."

"Explicit? As in, sexual?" she asked, just so there would be no misunderstanding. Booth nodded, looking a little guilty. Brennan swallowed and looked away, strangely embarrassed as though she were responsible in some way. "What about the line?" she asked quietly.

Booth had trouble following her line of thought. "Line?"

Brennan looked up at him, a sheen of tears in her eyes. "The line that you said people who work together shouldn't cross."

Booth smiled wryly. "How did I know those words would come back to haunt me?" Brennan opened her mouth to reply, but he forestalled her. "Rhetorical question, Bones." He finally gave in to the urge to sit beside her. He took her hand in his, threading his fingers through hers. "Someone told me that we need to grab all the happiness that comes our way. All I know is I'm happiest when I'm with you."

It was her turn to stand and put some distance between them. Her heart was slamming in her chest as she walked over to the desk and stared blindly at the papers that littered its surface. She turned and leaned her hips against the edge. He was watching her from where he sat, frowning as he tried to gauge her reaction.

"Do you really want to gamble our working relationship on this?" she asked, struggling to control her emotions. She had been attracted to him for some time now, to be honest, since before she'd had her fling with Sully, but fear of losing him had stopped her from doing anything about it. She had heard that workplace romances never ended well. She didn't want to find out if that was true through personal experience.

"Yes," he replied firmly, and Brennan looked shocked at his unequivocal answer. He stared at clasped his hands and took his time framing his next words. "I really think we can make this work. I want to try, if it's what you want too." His gaze locked with hers. "You haven't said how you feel about me," he pointed out, afraid of the answer.

She folded her arms across her middle and looked away, trying to bring order to her chaotic thoughts and emotions. She looked back at him and smiled a little. "I've been attracted to you for a long time, since before Sully," she confessed, then held up a hand as he came to his feet and moved toward her. "Booth, wait. Let's think about this, because there's no going back once we've begun."

Ignoring her attempt to slow things down, he stepped close and put his hands on her upper arms. When she looked up at him, she had tears in her eyes again. She had to try to reason with him once more, to make him think about this rationally. "Working cases with you has been the most rewarding thing I've done in a long time. If we become lovers, it's going to change the working dynamic, change the way we see each other. For all we know, it will completely destroy the balance we've managed to establish. I don't think we will be able to get it back once it's gone."

"We'll find a new, better dynamic, as a couple," he insisted, unwilling to give up just yet. She hadn't completely shut him down and he hadn't given up hope yet. She was looking up at him with those amazing eyes, and he decided it was time to play his next card. "How do we know until we try? We make a great investigative team—we could be even better as lovers. Life is too short to play it safe all the time." Her eyes fell away from his and he cupped her cheek to bring them back. "I'll never leave you unless you send me away," he promised softly, and his warm brown eyes echoed the promise.

A pair of tears spilled and rolled down her cheeks as his words targeted her biggest fear. "I can't imagine ever sending you away," she whispered, touching his cheek tenderly. Then she was in his arms, heart to heart, and it definitely was not a guy hug. Booth's heart swelled as he sensed victory. He pulled back a little to look at her and then he took the final step. Tipping her chin up, he kissed her softly, and when her lips opened to him he deepened the kiss, tongue meeting hers as his senses soared. She moaned a little and moved closer, running her hands up his chest to his neck to thread her fingers into his hair. His hands moved over her back, molding her tighter against his body, and he groaned at the sensations that were crashing through him. This was better than any dream he'd ever had.


End file.
